Lori’s rain garden project

Challenge: Lori had been having problems with water making its way into her basement. After speaking with her landscaper it became apparent that the culprit was the downspout, opposite the driveway, that let out at the corner of her house next to her foundation. She also wanted to update the look of her front yard, so she decided it was time to replace the shrubs with a garden that would better complement her home and attract butterflies and pollinators.

Solution: After removing the boxwood shrubs at the front of her yard, that area was excavated down into a bowl. The bowl is filled with a porous mixture of sand, compost and soil and mulch. This mixture helps to soak up water that fills up the bowl and allows it to slowly percolate into the ground. Lori has extended her downspout 8 feet away from the foundation so that water from her rooftop is directed down a slope and into the rain garden. For this, Lori received the maximum 45% stormwater credit from the City Kitchener. She receives lots of compliments from her neighbours on the new look, and is already planning similar projects in her backyard.